Latakia has been largely spared from violence during the four-and-a-half years of the Syrian civil war. A car bombing killing 10 people in September in Hamam Square were a rare occurrence.

The city is known as a stronghold of the Alawite religious group, to which President Bashar Assad belongs.

The Khmeimim airbase, which Russia uses to launch airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria, is located outside Latakia city.

The air campaign, staged on the request of President Assad, saw dozens of sorties carried out by Russia planes on a daily basis since September 30.

The Russian Defense Ministry has spoken of panic and desertion amongst Islamic State, Al-Nusra Front members and other jihadist groups, who have seen hundreds of their facilities bombed and raised to the ground.

“There’s a possibility, of course,” that Jabhat al-Nusra (Al-Nusra Front) carried out the Latakia attack, Catherine Shakdam from the Shafaqna Institute of Middle Eastern Studies in London told RT.

The systematic targeting of terrorists’ bases has damaged their ability to carry out attacks, "therefore, they’re trying to retaliate,” she explained.

According to Shakdam, “radicals” targeted the Alawites as they’re now “going after Assad’s political support system.”

Political analyst, Taleb Ibrahim, told RT that it’s almost certain that Al-Nusra Front is behind the shelling of Latakia.

“It’s not the first time Al-Nusra Front is bombing Latakia or launching missiles at civilians in that city. Moreover, Al-Nusra Front tried to make a lot of explosions by cars inside this city,” he said.

According to the analyst, Al-Nusra Front is the second largest group currently fighting the Syrian government.

It has less manpower than Islamic State, but its troops are much better trained, having experience of fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, he added.

Dr. Ibrahim also said that the US claims of training so-called moderate rebels in Syria are “only a fable.”

“There are no moderates” is Syria, he stressed, adding that even the Western-backed Free Syrian Army is nothing, but “a military arm of the Muslim Brotherhood,” an Egyptian Islamist organization.